I’m trying ahead to becoming a member of our prospects and companions at Mobile World Congress (MWC), February 26 to February 29, 2024, in Barcelona. Advancements in generative AI proceed to speed up the tempo of trade transformation, with telecommunications rising as a pacesetter in AI adoption.
Read the weblog Accelerating Telco Transformation within the Era of AI by Jason Zander, Executive Vice President, Strategic Missions and Technology, to learn the way operators are utilizing Microsoft’s AI and Copilot options to raise buyer experiences, streamline enterprise operations, monetize 5G investments, and modernize their community.
In this weblog, I’ll share plenty of thrilling updates about our Azure for Operators portfolio of cloud-based options that allow operators to drive innovation and effectivity within the community. We are proud to announce an increasing buyer base and the infusion of AI throughout Azure for Operators merchandise.
Modernize networks with a hybrid carrier-grade platform and AI-powered automation and insights
Deep integration of the community with the Azure cloud is basis to utilizing AI-powered automation and insights to unlock improved effectivity, scalability, safety, and reliability. Since the final availability announcement of Azure Operator Nexus—our provider grade, hybrid platform, our progress consists of:
- Additional Operator Nexus deployments supporting 5G standalone roll outs as main platform.
- Expanding capabilities to handle nationwide safety necessities in a number of areas.
- Increasing assist for widespread operational necessities and refining method to the DevSecOps fashions supporting multi-vendor community operate deployments.
- Additional kind components to assist RAN and extra workloads.
- As a service mannequin to assist buyer and companion lab deployments in Microsoft datacenters.
- Expanded Nexus Ready program with over 20 licensed companions and over 80 community features.
Operator Nexus permits operators to run workloads on-premises or on Azure, seamlessly deploying and managing all the pieces from the naked steel to the community to the tenant. Purpose-built for and validated by tier 1 operators to run mission-critical workloads, Operator Nexus:
- Accelerates time to marketplace for new companies.
- Lowers whole value of possession (TCO).
- Drives operational effectivity and resiliency.
- Critically, improves the safety of extremely distributed, software-based networks.
“As part of e& UAE’s transformation to becoming a digital telco we are excited to collaborate closely with Microsoft as we drive innovation in our services and excellence in our customer experience. The use of Azure Operator Nexus and Azure Operator 5G Core to support our core network will better enable us to leverage the power of AI and automation and provide new avenues for monetization.”
—Khalid Murshed, Chief Technology and Information Officer, e& UAE.
Azure for Operators
Learn how telecom operators are remodeling with Azure.
“AT&T is moving to the next phase of our cloud migration that includes deploying Microsoft’s Azure Operator Nexus platform in our network as part of the next phase of our 5G SA deployment. Continuing its leadership in cloud networking, AT&T is using cloud native DevOps tools to drive improvements such as one-touch deployment, vendor-agnostic framework, CI/CD integration, automated network testing, in-service upgrades, and advanced security and compliance management. Azure Operator Nexus’ API-driven solution helped us to significantly simplify, automate, and improve the deployment cycle time for cloud infrastructure software and configuration in our data centers.”
—Yigal Elbaz, Senior Vice President, Network CTO.
Read our tech group weblog to study extra about Azure Operator Nexus.
AI-enabled insights for operators
Azure Operator Insights and Copilot in Azure Operator Insights empower operators to drive effectivity, velocity, and accuracy in community operations. Copilot in Azure Operator Insights, now in restricted preview, represents a game-changer for community engineers. Copilot in Azure Operator Insights will empower community engineers to spend extra time fixing and fewer time diagnosing buyer issues by effectively figuring out, mitigating, and resolving community points. This service brings operator-focused gen AI-infused product permits operators to maneuver from reactive, to proactive, and predictive community administration. Network well being may be repeatedly monitored throughout a number of underlying administration methods, permitting for anomalous well being metrics to be detected and the interplay of advanced companies to be extra simply visualized. Network well being alerts proactively inform the LLM-based prompts, accelerating the power to mitigate utilizing options analyzed from knowledge sources equivalent to product manuals, assist web sites, person boards, and troubleshooting guides. Accumulated experiences are used to additional tune the AI mannequin utilizing data maintained within the operator’s subscription.
Today, Azure Operator Insights and Copilot in Azure Operator Insights are delivering AI-infused insights to drive community effectivity for purchasers like 3UK and collaborating companions together with Amdocs, Accenture, and ServiceNow.
Azure Operator Insights removes knowledge silos and delivers actionable enterprise insights by enabling the gathering and evaluation of large portions of community knowledge gathered from advanced multi-vendor community features. Leveraging ingest and question expertise designed to assist Azure itself, Azure Operator Insights can analyze knowledge streams sized at a number of petabytes per day in timeframes that can not be achieved with typical toolsets. Operator Insights helps operators sort out advanced eventualities equivalent to community well being, efficiency, safety, end-to-end buyer expertise, and operations effectivity.
Azure Operator Insights makes use of a contemporary knowledge mesh structure enabling advanced domains to be damaged into manageable sub-domains known as knowledge merchandise that combine large datasets from completely different sources and distributors. This new functionality, knowledge product manufacturing facility, permits operators, community tools suppliers, and resolution integrators to develop distinctive knowledge merchandise that may be printed to Azure Marketplace or for particular person buyer use. We are excited to be working with Accenture and Amdocs as our preliminary collaborators with the Azure Operator Insights knowledge product manufacturing facility.
“3UK is using Azure Operator Insights to leverage the latest AI advancements through the Copilot in Azure Operator Insights product. This is an exciting development that brings together the latest in generative AI and supports our commitment to better connectivity, every day, for every customer.”
—Iain Milligan, Chief Network Officer, 3UK.
Visit our tech group weblog for extra use circumstances.
Modern cellular packet core
Azure Operator 5G Core, now in public preview, is designed to fulfill the evolving wants of cellular community operators, providing a totally containerized carrier-grade, any-G, hybrid cellular packet core with totally built-in community features that run on-premises or in-cloud. It is a contemporary structure confirmed within the discipline at scale primarily based on acquired packet core expertise from our Affirmed Networks acquisition.
Key options since non-public preview embrace:
- Inline person aircraft companies present operators with environment friendly community useful resource utilization in a diminished footprint whereas bettering general person expertise.
- APIs for repeatable and constant automation for speedy, error-free service rollouts.
- Micro service structure helps 2G to 5G in single deployment.
- Containerization drives excessive efficiency and effectivity.
- Integrated with cloud-based companies for zero belief safety, AI primarily based automation, and superior analytics.
- Rapid time to market with DevSecOps-based method.
For extra details about these enhancements for Azure Operator 5G Core, go to our tech group weblog.
Security and compliance for telecom workloads
We are dedicated to supporting our prospects’ safety and compliance obligations. In deepening our dedication, we now have joined the GSMA Network Equipment Security Assurance Scheme (NESAS) to assist make sure the safety and compliance of our merchandise. Specific to the United Kingdom (UK), we assist the UK Telecoms Security Assurance (TSA) code of follow.
“We are delighted to welcome Microsoft Azure for Operators to the Network Equipment Security Assurance Scheme (NESAS). By joining NESAS, Microsoft demonstrates its leadership to providing secure and trustworthy solutions for the telecom industry. NESAS provides a common security framework that enhances transparency and confidence in the network equipment supply chain. We look forward to working with Microsoft and other members of the scheme to advance the security and reliability of telecom networks around the world.”
—Samantha Kight, Head of Industry Security, GSMA.
Monetize 5G investments and improve buyer experiences with trendy related purposes
For operators, the power to monetize a differentiated community expertise requires exposing key capabilities to builders and ISVs, whose efforts speed up the event of contemporary related purposes, rushing adoption, and worth creation. The bulletins on this part make it attainable for operators to monetize AI, programmable community, and edge compute.
Announcing Azure Operator Call Protection in public preview
We are asserting a brand new service that makes use of AI to guard customers from phone rip-off calls. Azure Operator Call Protection makes use of real-time evaluation of voice content material, alerting customers when there may be suspicious in-call exercise. Operator Call Protection works on any endpoint (cellular or landline) and is solely network-derived (no app obtain required) making for easy monetization of the service as both a premium function or a part of a service bundle. It is constructed on Azure Communications Gateway, which permits connectivity between an operator voice community and Microsoft Teams and different cloud communication companies. Operators collaborating in preview embrace British Telecom Group and Far EasTone.
“We’ve already implemented various measures to protect our customer base from many millions of scam calls and texts, but with fraud a growing problem in the UK, we are always looking at how we can take consumer protection to the next level. That’s why we are collaborating with Microsoft to pilot Azure Operator Call Protection and analyze how, by using advanced (AI) capabilities, we can further enhance our defenses against fraudulent activity.”
—Reza Rahnama, MBE, MD Mobile Networks, BT Group.
Visit our tech group weblog for extra details about Azure Operator Call Protection.
Azure Programmable Connectivity (APC) is now obtainable in public preview as an Azure service. Now totally built-in into the Azure Marketplace, APC empowers operators to commercialize their community APIs and simplifies their entry for builders. APC offers seamless entry to Open Gateway for builders to create cloud and edge-native purposes that work together with the intelligence of the community. By offering a unified, normal interface throughout operator networks, builders can create cloud and edge-native purposes that work together with the intelligence of networks.
We are actively collaborating with international operators integrating their community APIs to develop a robust companion ecosystem (equivalent to AT&T, BT, Claro, Deutsche Telekom, MEO, Orange, Rogers, Singtel, Telefonica, T-Mobile, TIM Brasil, Verizon, and Vivo). We additionally proceed working with community expertise companions and community programmability aggregators, equivalent to Ericsson and Vonage, in addition to Nokia and Nokia’s Network as Code platform, making concrete progress accelerating the ecosystem on community programmability.
“Verizon’s network APIs enable developers to create new experiences, ease pain points in customer interactions, and improve customer security by enabling access to Verizon network APIs through Azure’s APC, developers across the globe can benefit from Verizon’s deep knowledge of the data environment and expansive network resource.”
—Srini Kalapala, Senior Vice President of Technology and Product Development, Verizon.
Learn how APC is revolutionizing the best way builders work together with community API companies and learn the way enterprises are profiting from network-aware purposes.
Azure non-public MEC permits operators to assist trendy related purposes with high-performance, ultra-low-latency edge options. Here are a couple of examples of how enterprises are remodeling operations with 5G:
- Noble Corporation, one of many largest offshore drilling contractors on the earth, is deploying Azure non-public MEC to offer mobility options for the crew whereas rising effectivity. “With Tampnet’s Private Offshore Network and Azure private MEC, onsite connectivity is no longer a challenge for Noble. Connected workers, and safe and secure networks are accelerating implementation of digital initiatives for improved offshore operations.”—Juan Vesga, OTG Project Manager, Noble Corporation.
- Trinity Broadcast Networks (TBN), has put in a personal 5G community deployment from our companion, Trilogy NextGen Networks, within the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex. “As the new home for many of TBN’s most popular news and entertainment programs, as well as ‘Dr. Phil Primetime,’ it was essential to create a facility that delivers the ultimate state-of-the-art experience. Our partnership with Trilogy NextGen helps us invigorate the world of broadcasting, as we push the boundaries of content creation to inspire, inform, and uplift audiences around the world.”—Russell Hall, Senior Vice President of Production, TBN.
- 5G PORTAL–the Offshore Renewable Energy (ORE) Catapult, along with Microsoft and a wider consortium of companions, have created an offshore 5G geared up testbed, protecting the Port of Grimsby and the operational Lynn and Inner Dowsing Wind Farm.
Expanding companion ecosystem for contemporary related purposes
Our companions are actively creating trendy related purposes that run on Azure non-public MEC. We have onboarded greater than 20 ISVs and dozens of SI and operator companions. Learn extra beneath about a number of the new companion options obtainable on Azure Marketplace.
- Glartek’s Augmented & Connected Worker platform makes use of AR to assist enterprise operations.
- Scenera’s MAIstro software program as a service (SaaS) presents a complete resolution for orchestrating AI analytics seamlessly from edge to cloud.
- Tampnet’s offshore non-public networks present safe connectivity for offshore operators and vessels.
- Taqtile Manifest® Mixed Reality Work Instruction Solution leverages blended actuality to enhance operational workflows.
- T-Mobile’s 5G Advanced Network Solutions offers “right-sized” options for enterprises.
- Zebra Technologies Corporation’s Workcloud Communication platform permits safe and dependable communication for front-line employees.
See how ISV companions are powering AI-enabled purposes.
Get began at present
Microsoft and our ecosystem companions are constructing a very “better together” structure that holistically addresses the wants of community operators as they remodel their networks. Looking forward, we stay dedicated to being essentially the most trusted co-innovation companion by way of each stage of the digital evolution, working with operators and enterprises to future-proof networks and unlock new income streams in a cloud- and AI-native future.
Invitation to operators, system integrators, and community managers
Invitation to enterprises, builders, and ISVs
- Whether you’re an enterprise seeking to leverage our options, a developer desirous to create network-aware purposes, or an utility ISV in search of to collaborate with Microsoft on MEC options, we invite you to take the following step. Sign up now to affix us in constructing the way forward for telecommunications with Azure for Operators.
- To learn the way Microsoft helps organizations embrace 5G with trendy related purposes, join information and updates delivered to your inbox.